This disclosure relates to the field of retail product storage and display devices. More specifically, the disclosure relates to retail product displays that may load product containers or packages through a forward end of the display.
Retail product displays known in the art include modular retail product package displays. Such modular displays may be mounted to a shelf, rack or other type of display case such as a refrigerated case individually, and/or side by side and/or vertically separated from each other on a shelf or rack or in a display case. Product packages or containers may be urged toward a forward end of the display by gravity, e.g., using a display floor which is inclined and may have a plurality of rollers disposed in the floor. One example of such a gravity operated display is sold under the trademark FLEXROLLER, which is a registered trademark of Bruegmann, USA, Inc., 589 Garden Oaks Drive, Houston, Tex. 77018. The product packages may be held on the display by a barrier at the forward end of the display floor. As individual product packages are removed from the display, remaining packages are gravitationally urged forward toward the barrier.
Other types of product displays may use a biased plate or “pusher” that contacts the rearwardmost product package disposed on the display such that the rearwardmost package and all packages on the display in a line forward of the rearwardmost package are urged toward the front end of the display. As individual product packages are removed from the display, the pusher urges the remaining packages forward toward the barrier.
In some configurations of the foregoing types of display, additional product packages may be loaded onto the display by loading from above the display. For gravity operated displays, the product packages are simply placed on the display floor. For pusher operated displays, the pusher is moved rearwardly and additional product packages are inserted into open space between the barrier, or the rearwardmost of any remaining packages on the display floor and the pusher. The pusher is then released to resume operation of the display.
Other types of product displays may be replenished with additional product packages by loading additional product packages through the forward end of the display. In such displays the barrier may be movable to enable access to the product “lane.” Movable barriers known in the art include spring actuated plate type barriers that may be moved by the user pushing on the barrier such that it rotates about an axis parallel to the front edge of the display, thus opening the product “lane” for insertion of product packages. When the barrier is released, a spring such as a torsion spring rotates the barrier to approximately perpendicular to the plane of the display floor, and further rotation of the barrier is limited such that product packages urged forward by gravity or by a pusher are retained by the barrier. One such product display is sold by Henschel Steinau, Inc., 50 Commerce Drive, Allendale, N.J. 07401.